I've spent my life discovering a love for making. It's become a passion for process, for using my hands to create and share. For my Senior Capstone, I chose to emphasize process, its adaptive nature and creative flexibility through the packaging and identity system for a brewery called Rare Batch Brewing Collaborative.

"Experimentation with creativity and process are at the core of our passion for making beer, and so are you. Rare Batch is a working brewery who loves to put a twist on the craft brewing trend when you take home a batch with your own name on it. Forget the rules in the brew book! We set thew stage for the DIY minded who want to experiment, learn and play. At Rare Batch, you're the brewer. And better yet, your recipe can be voted into production and distribution as a seasonal release. Come hang at Rare Batch and enjoy some suds from the house or sign up to brew your own under the guidance of our experts."

The labeling system for Rare Batch uses color to define beer type along with a numeric language to define style, brew date and batch number. Lagers and Ales are the two main categories of beer which are distinguished by cool and warm palettes, reflecting their general fermentation temperatures. The shape is inspired by facets from the primary logo-mark combining a hop and crystal. Its modular nature allows a systemic customization displaying information for each Rare Batch. And of course one of the best parts is having your own signature on the label!

Din - A Brief Synopsis

A collection of information summarizing Din's historical significance, its evolution and use today.

Printed Sundries

Process - I love it. One of my biggest interests is printing and the process behind each part of it. This is a sampling of prints I've designed and produced.

Cincinnati Brewery Companion

The Cincinnati Brewery Companion is a project intended to embrace the historically rich brewing tradition of Cincinnati while providing an exciting opportunity to engage in the craft beer scene thriving today.

Being just the right size to fit in your pocket, it features a brief summary of Cincinnati's brewing history, common beer terminology, types and styles so that you can better understand the world of brewing before diving in.

Cincinnati area breweries are listed by name with location, website, contact information, etc. and displayed on two separate maps - one of Greater Cincinnati and one of the Downtown Area which includes a system of way-finding signage.

Each participating brewery has a spread in the companion with room to write down beers you've tried including details such as beer name and style, hop classification and more. Be sure to have your companion stamped at each brewery to complete your adventure on the Cincy Ale Trail. Once your booklet is entirely stamped, you can mail it in to receive a complementary Cincy Ale Trail pint glass!

Cairn

Cairn promotes exploration as a user content-generated app for smart phone devices. Users have the ability to view and store hiking trails in their area leading them to discover and share unique trail features called cairns.

This app is great for avid hikers as it provides information on sights and resources along trails, allowing for data storage in the case of limited phone service. It's also fun for families, friends and even couples who might like to find a nice place for lunch, check out sights such as waterfalls or enjoy a day hike.

Cairn includes useful functions like trail summaries, ratings, lengths and distances as well as navigation tools to orient and guide you. There are also weather and daylight alerts such as on-coming rain or sunset. Additional features include secure emergency signal broadcasting, flashlight, live compass and more.

This app is also designed to minimize battery usage by utilizing a primarily grey interface while providing simple intuitive navigation.

Image of stones credited to: Sylvain Naudin

Stack your own cairn to share a discovery with other app users. Publish your photos and descriptions via social media

Choose to display specific cairn zone categories and explore cairns that other users have stacked

One of the boards used for determining design direction

Brainstorming concept, functionality and design was a large part of the process

Life Apart

This alphabetical collection of letters addresses an intimate contemplation of memories from an individual perspective. A reminisce of experiences in our lives and the faces of those who shared them.

All photographs were taken during a series of hikes collecting initials often seen encircled by hearts or names carved in tree bark.

L'eau De Vie

A twenty dollar bottle of water. That's right. After delving into the market, I created this packaging featuring custom lettering to reference L'eau De Vie's unique character. It's targeted towards a more seasoned demographic, spending both their time and money on the finer things in life.

Student Exhibition

I was asked to create the call for entries and show poster for Northern Kentucky University's 2014 Student exhibition, featuring fantastic student work across many visual disciplines.I created illustrations for a variety of tools and stylized the finished piece as if it were screen-printed. The paper is used as a third color with gritty halftone textures and imperfect registration.

A call for entries

On digital display as well as posted around campus

The actual exhibition poster

Misty Mountain Hop

Designed for Moontower, a home-brew operation, this double hopped lager drew inspiration from a few jams playing in the background as some extra-hoppy contents were mixed up.

The top of each bottle has been dipped in sealing wax to add a stylish touch for the lucky few receiving this as a holiday gift. I also printed cork coasters for the occasion.

City Library

This is a self-contained, mailable, two-sided poster to promote a hypothetical future-friendly library. Focusing on a modern set of typefaces with a friendly and lively color palette, it provides detailed facility information along with an extensive schedule of events on the backside.

Content plays on the relation between the reader and their imagination, making it fun with the idea of folding the whole shabang into a classic newspaper hat! Remember those?

An earlier direction for the City Library mailer.

Coast to Coast

I love to spend those good ol' obligation free days hiking mountains, on the water or getting lost in forests. I was inspired to make this primarily to throw on gear as a patch, but decided to create a button pack as well - equally applicable in adding some spirit to my favorite packs.